Kingdom Come
by dustie paige
Summary: Best friends Tidus, Jo, and Rina were enjoying an average life on Destiny Islands, but they always wanted to get away. One night, they begin having strange dreams and the dreams start coming true. Can they save the lives of their friends and their own?
1. Destiny Islands

DUSTIE: Hey! The name's Dustie - Dustie Paige! I originally only had a fictionpress account but after serious persuading from one of my friends, I decided to join this site and post my fics! But anyhoo, this story, KINGDOM COME, features a lot of the characters from Kingdom Hearts Riku, Sora, Kairi, Tidus, etc. and I give Square Enix n everybody full credit for them! The other characters, Jo and Rina, are my own. So, enjoy and drop me a note! On with the story!

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KINGDOM COME

Chapter One

The waves lapped up against the shores of beautiful Destiny Islands and the sun pounded down on Rina, Jo, and Tidus. They couldn't have asked for a better day, and they were taking full advantage of it. The three had hit the beach early and planned to stay there all day. That was, until curfew. Rina picked up a tiny piece of sea glass and put it in the bag she was carrying up and down the beach as Tidus took to chasing his twin sister, Jo down the shoreline for hitting him in the back of the head with a rock from her slingshot. Rina giggled and took off after them.

An average day on Destiny Islands, an island paradise for the kids that lived there; full of having fun and exploring. Jo hiked up her black capris and jumped onto a ladder, closely followed by her brother. They climbed to a platform high above the water, and Jo pulled herself up on the wooden railing.

"Come and get me, Tidus!" she laughed.

She leapt off and curled herself up into a cannonball, plummeting toward the clear blue ocean.

Tidus leaned over the railing. "You're crazy!" he shouted after her.

"I know!" Jo said, getting in a good laugh before she hit the water with a splash.

Rina shed her outer clothes, revealing a pretty blue bikini, and stepped into the tiny waterfall that flowed over the side of a hill, throwing her head back and closing her eyes. More than anything, she loved the water. Well, not more than her friends. She opened her eyes and gazed out wistfully over the ocean, remembering the countless times she, Tidus, and her friend Riku had swam miles out to sea; so far that they couldn't see the shores of the island.

Rina craved adventure. Not like the little things she and her friends did around the island; always exploring caves, venturing through the forests. Sure, it was endless fun, but she wanted to go to new places, see new things, explore strange new lands. And, it seemed, she wasn't the only one.

Jo broke the surface of the water and laughed again. She probably was crazy. Always the daredevil, constantly taking risks and pushing herself as far, or further, than she could go. Not like Rina, who was forever curious and trying new things to no end; or Tidus, who wanted to prove his worth, no matter what the task. She liked the rush, the feel of her adrenaline pumping. Blowing a strand of wet brown hair, the complete opposite of her brother's surfer blonde, out of her face, she swam toward the shore. Jo walked up onto the sandy beach, her wet shoes sloshing under feet and her clothes dripping wet. One day she would get off this island. One day.

Tidus climbed back down the ladder and ran over to meet Jo at the shore, deciding not to use the ramp and hopping the short ledge to the sand. He was eager to duel somebody, and his sister was his best opponent. There was something about winning that he couldn't get enough of. Sure, he knew, he had an ego problem, and if it got any bigger, his head might explode, but what was wrong with being confident? That was what he called it; everyone else called him arrogant.

"Jo!" he shouted, his blue eyes sparkling excitedly in the summer sun. "Let's settle this how we always do!"

Jo smiled mischievously. "It's on!"

"You feeling lucky today?" he asked, taking his position across the beach from her.

His sister shrugged, grinning. "Who needs luck with this skill?"

Tidus shook his head, laughing quietly. "Ready?"

"You bet."

"1..."

Jo removed her slingshot from her pocket and took out a stone from the pack that hung around her waist. Tidus grabbed his weapon of choice, a long red staff that was lying in the sand, and slammed an end to the ground.

"2..."

Jo put the rock in the slingshot and pulled it back as Tidus raised his staff; both at the ready. Tidus opened his mouth to shout "three!" and charge at his sister, when suddenly there was a loud banging sound followed by a few more quieter thuds. Rina, who'd been daydreaming, snapped out of her trance and looked around, startled. Jo let out a frustrated sigh and spun around to find their friend Sora lying in a heap at the bottom of the winding staircase that lead to the island's tree house.

"Umm… hi guys!" he said, standing up and brushing himself off.

"Are you alright?" Rina asked.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, fine."

There was a quiet rustling sound as someone emerged from the "Secret Place" beneath a tree, panting.

"Is everything alright?"

Riku, another friend of the three, now stood in front of them, a worried look on his face. When he saw it was only Sora, he sighed of relief and sat down on the edge of the pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall.

"So, what's up?" he asked, draping his feet into the cool water.

"Not much," Tidus answered.

Sora took a seat on one of the wooden steps he'd just fallen down. "I wonder where Kairi is this morning?" he thought aloud.

As if on cue, Kairi came running up the beach, waving. "Morning!" she called, walking up the ramp and sitting down next to Sora. "How are you guys?"

The islanders talked happily amongst themselves about what to do with the beautiful day they now had on their hands. Six friends sat together under the warm, summer sun, never expecting the terrible yet wonderful adventure to come.


	2. The Dreams

DUSTIE: Hey again and welcome to Chapter Two! No reviews. At all. But enjoy anyway! By the way, the stuff the creepy voice guy says is taken directly from Kingdom Hearts gotta give Square Enix credit! so it should sound a little familiar... 3rd Chapter's coming soon!

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KINGDOM COME  
Chapter Two

That night, Jo fell straight to sleep, exhausted from the day, as did the five others. She'd been fast asleep until she broke into a very strange, very realistic dream. She was falling and falling into endless darkness, flashes of the Destiny Islands and her friends flying past her through the shadows. Finally, she reached the bottom and stood on a beautiful stained glass platform. After looking harder, she noticed that it was a painting of a girl.

_"SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME,"_ said a voice. _"TAKE YOUR TIME. DON'T BE AFRAID. THE DOOR IS STILL SHUT. NOW, STEP FORWARD… CAN YOU DO IT?"_

Jo did as she was told and cautiously took a few steps forward. Suddenly, three podiums erupted from the ground in front of her, floating above each were an item; a sword, a shield, and a staff.

_"POWER SLEEPS WITHIN YOU,"_ the voice continued. _"IF YOU GIVE IT FORM… IT WILL GIVE YOU STRENGTH. CHOOSE WELL…"_

Confused, Jo walked slowly up to the platform with the sword.

_"THE POWER OF THE WARRIOR,"_ the voice in her head told her. _"INVINCIBLE COURAGE. A SWORD OF TERRIBLE DESTRUCTION… IS THIS THE POWER YOU SEEK?"_

Power… destruction… Sounded good.

"Yes," Jo replied confidently. Her voice echoed through the darkness.

_"YOUR PATH IS SET. NOW, WHAT WILL YOU GIVE UP IN EXCHANGE?"_

She had to get rid of one now? The shield or the staff? After thinking for a moment, she walked over to the staff.

_"THE POWER OF THE MYSTIC,"_ it told her. _"INNER STRENGTH. A STAFF OF BOTH WONDER AND RUIN. YOU GIVE UP THIS POWER?"_

"Yes," she said, and the staff disappeared into the air.

_"YOU'VE CHOSEN THE POWER OF THE WARRIOR. YOU'VE GIVEN UP THE POWER OF THE MYSTIC. IS THIS THE FORM YOU CHOOSE?"_

Jo nodded as the shield disappeared as well. Suddenly, the ground began to shake and the platform she was standing on shattered. She fell through darkness again until her feet hit the ground. The sword she had chosen earlier appeared in her hands.

_"YOU'VE GAINED THE POWER TO FIGHT. USE THIS POWER TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS."_

A shadowy creature appeared in front of her, its antennas twitching as it rocked back and forth; it looked harmless, but the voice told her otherwise.

_"THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT. KEEP YOUR LIGHT BURNING STRONG."_

So she did what she did best; battle. She took a powerful swing at the Shadow and watched, satisfied, as it vanished into the darkness just as more appeared around her. She was surrounded and all she could do was destroy them. When they were finally all gone, a door appeared in front of her. Jo walked up to it and tried turning the handle, but it wouldn't open.

"OPEN YOU STUPID THING!" she shouted, kicking the door out of frustration.

_"HOLD ON!"_ the voice told her again. _"THE DOOR WON'T OPEN JUST YET…"_

Jo sighed and held her sword at the ready.

After defeating another round of Shadows, the formerly closed door that stood before her started to glow. Jo walked through it and found herself on yet another platform, a set of rainbow stained-glass steps stood before her. She followed them to a podium shrouded in darkness.

_"THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE LIGHT, THE GREATER YOUR SHADOW BECOMES. BUT DON'T BE AFRAID. AND DON'T FORGET…"_

"Forget what!" she demanded.

No answer. Before her, her shadow grew and grew into a huge shadow creature, larger than those tiny things she'd had no problem defeating earlier. She jumped back and ran toward the edge of the platfrom. Don't be afraid… she reminded herself. Jo spun around to face the creature, narrowing her eyes, and charged forward…

"Wha!"

Jo sat up in bed with a start, shaking. She'd just been swallowed up by darkness. That creepy voice… "But don't be afraid," it had been saying. "You hold the mightiest weapon of all. And don't forget… You are the one who will open the door…" She'd just been fighting off shadows, but now she was in her bedroom, the covers kicked off the bed. How…? No, she remembered, that was just a dream. But it seemed so real. Just the thought of the dream sent a shiver up her spine as she looked toward a corner of her room that lie in the shadows. For an instant, she could've sworn she saw two yellow eyes staring back at her. She took in a sharp gasp and took off at full tilt into Tidus' room, where he sat awake.

"Bad dream scare you, Jo?" he teased, his voice trembling.

Jo sat down at the edge of his bed and studied him closely for a moment. He looked scared. He was just trying to cover it up.

"You had the dream, too, didn't you?" she whispered.

Tidus' eyes went wide. "Dream? W-what dream?" he stuttered, staring at her.

"The one when you were falling through the darkness. Where you had to choose between three weapons; where the shadows came alive. You know exactly what dream I'm talking about, don't you?" Jo hissed.

Her brother shook his head in disbelief. "How the…?"

"Weird, isn't it?"

Tidus shut his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Wait. You said you were falling through darkness, right?"

"You heard me," she replied.

"I had the same dream except I was falling through fire," he told her, getting a bad case of the shivers. "It was so real."

They both sat in silence until they heard a quiet clinking sound at Tidus' window. Jo looked toward it and found Rina sitting on the windowsill in her pajamas, waving at them. She got up and let her in immediately.

"This may sound sort of stupid," Rina sighed, "but I kind of got scared -"

"Of a dream you had," Jo interrupted. "We know. Me and Tidus had the same dream. So that must mean you had it too."

Rina gave them a puzzled look then shook her blonde head, her icy blue eyes full of wonder. "I remember falling through water…"

"Fire," and "Darkness," Jo and Tidus said together.

Rina shook her head. "What power did you choose? I took the shield; the power of the guardian."

"I chose the power of warrior," Tidus answered.

"Me too," Jo said, smoothing down her big white T-shirt.

"Surprise, surprise," Rina teased. "On my way over, I sort of calmed myself down and thought about it for a little bit. It must mean something, right? I mean, all three of us had almost exactly the same dream. If that's not strange, I don't know what is."

"But what does it mean?" Jo asked. "Yeah, it's weird, but it might just be some kind of strange coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidences," Tidus told them, shaking his head.

"Me neither, and I think it's telling us something." Rina paused for a second. "I just can't figure out what."


	3. Hard Questions

DUSTIE: Welp, nobody (except Chelea :P) has reviewed, but I'll post another chapter anyway! Hopefully I'll get lucky!

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KINGDOM COME Chapter Three

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, thinking.

Rina was sure it was a sign of something to come. That dream was trying to tell them something. If only Jo could see what she meant. The three of them wouldn't just have the same weird dream on the same night if it weren't important. And somehow they'd all wound up in Tidus' room at them exact same time, wide-awake and frightened. Rina looked back on the dream; what the curious voice had told her, piecing it all together. She thought it was the sign of some dangerous adventure to come.

Tidus was thinking along the same lines. His sister could be so stubborn; she couldn't believe things unless she could see them; reach out and touch them. Yes, he admitted, it was strange and it could just be a coincidence, but he honestly didn't think it was. It was too weird. Falling through fire? Why had he fallen through fire, Rina through water, and Jo through darkness? Each element represented them in a way; he had an internal flame, a passion for life. And Rina? She was like the water in so many ways; she was peaceful, unpredictable, cool. But Jo. Darkness…?

Jo yawned. She was tired and wanted to go back to sleep, but that dream kept her thinking. Thinking hard. Her brother and best friend had a point, but she didn't want to believe it. It was just a stupid little dream. She yawned again and turned to face Rina and Tidus.

"Guys, I think we should just get some sleep," she mumbled. "I'm dead tired and I wanna go to bed. Maybe if we cool off and calm ourselves down, this will make more sense to us in the morning."

Rina nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But, can you please think about what we're saying?"

"Will do," Jo replied. "Now, go get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rina waved goodbye and climbed out the window, swiftly climbing down the rope ladder that hung from Tidus' window.

"I don't know why she just doesn't use the door," Tidus muttered, lying back down and pulling the covers up over his head. "Night, Jo."

"Night." She yawned and headed back to her room, shutting the door behind her and flipping on her lamp. She didn't sleep in the light well, but she didn't want to see those shadows; lurking in the corner, waiting. So maybe the dream scared her more than she led on…

Rina walked back to her house and jumped in her bedroom window. Her parents always told her to use the door, but she liked climbing better. Jo had a point; she too was tired. Then again, it was midnight. Almost 1:00 now, she realized, glancing at the clock on her end table before snuggling down under the covers. She stared at the little red numbers as they burned themselves in her brain. They went blurry, and before she knew it her eyes snapped shut and she was dreaming again.

She was having a fantasy that the numbers 12, 5, and 7 were dancing and singing a song with her sitting in the audience, clapping and laughing. Then, suddenly, a veil of light slipped over that dream as it lead into another. She was standing on the platform above the ocean Jo had leapt off earlier that day, the bright sun making her shade her eyes. Looking around, she found that Tidus and Jo stood before her. Rina walked up to Tidus first.

"What are you so afraid of?" he asked. "Getting old, being different, or being indecisive?"

Rina thought about this. Tough question. "Getting old," she replied after a moment, then headed over to Jo.

"What do you want outta life?" she said, leaning against the wooden railing. "To broaden your horizons, to see rare sights, or to be strong?"

Another hard question. "To see new places," she told her.

Tidus spoke again. "What's most important to you? Friendship, your prized possessions, or being number one?"

"Friendship," Rina replied almost immediately.

Jo nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she answered confidently.

The sound of the waves lapping up on the shore and the seagulls squawking was drowned out by that same voice in her head from her earlier dream. "THE DAY YOU OPEN THE DOOR IS BOTH FAR OFF AND VERY NEAR," It told her…

Suddenly, Rina snapped awake. She stretched and looked toward her clock that read 6:08. Wondering if Tidus and Jo had had the same dream, she got out of bed and got dressed. When she'd pulled on a bright pink halter-top, pretty aqua blue and white arm bands and wrist cuffs, a white skirt, and a pair of pink backless sneakers, she sat down at her desk and took out a tablet and pencil.

She was going to make a note of everything. In her neat handwriting she wrote:

_What are you so afraid of?  
-getting old_

_What do you want out of life?  
- to see rare sights_

_What's most important to you?  
-friendship_

Rina ripped the page out from the tablet and folded it up, putting it in her pocket. She left a note to her parents, telling them she'd gone to Tidus and Jo's house, and climbed out the window. When she arrived, just as she'd guessed, the two sat wide-awake, swinging on the porch swing, both looking quite tired.

"Hi," she said, sitting down between them. "I had another dream."

Jo made a low grumbling sound and took a sip from the cup she held in her shaking hand. "Join the club."

"What did you answer?"

Tidus looked up toward the sky as if the answer were floating up near the clouds somewhere. But when he found it wasn't, he looked back at the ground. "Umm… I said that friendship was most important to me, I wanted to get strength out of life, and that I was afraid of getting old."

Jo nodded sleepily and mumbled something that sounded like, "Same here."

Rina pulled out her paper and read her answers off the list. "So… when did you guys wake up?" she asked, tucking the piece of notebook paper back in her pocket.

"6:08," Tidus replied with a yawn, leaning back in the porch swing and staring up at the sky again. "You?"

"6:08," she repeated. "This is just so... strange."

He nodded and thrummed his fingers on the arm of the swing. "I know. It just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

Rina studied them for a moment and realized that they, like her, were already dressed, and, though Jo looked tired, she thought it would be good for all of them to go to the Big Island.

"Do you guys want to go for a paddle to the island?" she suggested, standing up.

"Sure," Tidus shrugged.

Jo just grumbled. She remembered waking up after that second dream, eyes wide and hands shaking, just like the last one. The thought that maybe these dreams did actually mean something pulsed through her head, making her temples throb. Almost immediately, she'd thrown on a pair of baggy black capris, a bright yellow vest over a white tank top, as well as black and yellow arm bands, a pair of black fingerless gloves, and her favorite comfy yellow sneakers. She had run into Tidus' room to find him awake as well, getting dressed. He pulled on a blue T-shirt that perfectly matched his eyes and followed her to the kitchen to eat some breakfast and discuss another stupid dream. "More like a nightmare," she thought to herself, kicking a pebble up the beach and falling in step behind Tidus and Rina.

The three of them jumped into their canoes that were docked in a small bay and paddled all the way over the Big Island of Destiny Islands. There was no other way to get from island to island, like a bridge or a ship, so everyone that lived there had their own little wooden boat. Once, when they were younger, the three of them had had a creative streak and took to painting their canoes, which was mainly Rina's idea. Tidus had made his boat bright red with shining yellow stars starting in a cluster near the front and becoming more scattered toward the back; Rina's was a beautiful painting of the ocean on a bright day; and Jo's was sunshine yellow with a white and black checkered flag design along the bottom. The paints had worn from time, but they loved them nonetheless.

After only a few minutes, the three of them reached the shore of the Big Island. Tidus jumped out of his canoe and onto the dock, then grabbed the fronts of the girls' boats, pulling them closer so they could get out. He offered a hand to Rina before grabbing Jo around the waist and hoisting her over his shoulder, Rina tying the canoes safely to the dock.

It was barely an hour or so before Riku jumped onto the dock from his own canoe. Strange, Rina thought, for him to be up so early. It was only 8:30. She, Jo, and Tidus waved and ran over to him.

"Morning," Riku said, trying to stifle a yawn. "What are you 3 doing up so early?"

"Exactly what we were going to ask you." Jo leaned against the side of the dock and crossed her arms. "A bad dream scare you or something?"

Riku chuckled. "No."

She looked down at the water that was splashing up the sides of her yellow tennis shoes, then at her brother, then Rina, and finally Riku. They all had circles under their eyes from lack of sleep. But, she still couldn't figure out why Riku was awake. He'd answered 'no' so confidently, it couldn't be a lie. Then again, everything he did seemed confident.

"So… what do you want to do?" Rina asked, staring dreamily out to sea.

Part of her knew something was strange. Nobody ever really arrived at the Destiny Islands until at least 9:30. There was no school, so it was best to sleep in, and there was no reason to be up early - they had a whole day ahead of them. She looked at Riku questioningly. Had he been awake before they'd even gotten up?

Only a few minutes later, Sora and Kairi came strolling casually up the beach, laughing, though both looked a little tired. The six sat together under the sun, Tidus, Jo, and Rina not daring to mention the dreams of the previous night.


	4. Swallowed

DUSTIE: Wow... Haven't posted another chapter for a while! Sweet Jesus... Welp, maybe I'll get some readers!

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KINGDOM COME  
Chapter Four

Tidus thought that maybe if he didn't think about them, or at least not talk about them, they would just go away. But, the image of falling into the pool of darkness made by the shadow creatures was burned in his brain, and he just couldn't make it leave. It had given all of them a shock. Jo looked on the verge of tears as she crawled into bed that night, trying not to look into the shadows for fear of seeing two yellow eyes. Tidus sat down at the foot of her bed and smiled gently.

"Listen, Jo," he soothed, "nothing bad is going to happen to you."

From the look on his sister's face, it didn't seem that she believed it.

"If it makes you feel any better, you can come sleep in my room, just for tonight."

She nodded timidly and pushed back the covers, grabbing her pillow and following him down the hall and into his room. Tidus had never seen Jo like this before; not since he'd… since his dad… He shook his head, shaking the memories from his mind, and turned out the light, Jo trembling next to him.

Rina sat by her window, staring out over the starry sky and calm ocean. It was getting late, but not even the gentle pounding of the waves could lull her to sleep. She'd thought of hauling all the lamps in her house to her room and lighting them, but immediately ditched that idea. Her parents would notice, and she might possibly blind everyone on the island; whichever came first. Then she thought of staying up all night and only sleeping for about an hour. She'd get in at least one sleep cycle… But, that didn't seem too appealing either. Rina wasn't a person who got bored easily, and she'd probably find a way to keep herself entertained, but when would she have time to dream? After thinking up, then scrapping one idea after the other, she decided the only logical thing to do was to get in her full eight hours.

Rina took one last look out her window; the sky was being covered with dark gray rain clouds and the wind was making the leaves on a few nearby palm trees sway. It was going to storm. Yawning a little, she walked over to her bed and pulled up her blue and pink fuzzy covers, lying back on her fluffy pastel pillows. Seconds after she closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of happy things. No shadows.

Tidus was woken up by the loud clap of thunder. Squinting, he looked toward the clock, the evil red numbers burning his eyes. It was almost midnight. He blinked once or twice, then rolled over to see if Jo was awake. But she wasn't there. Suddenly scared, he looked around his room, his eyes resting on his window. There she was, staring out the window at the storm that was raging outside.

"Jo?" he mumbled sleepily.

She jumped, startled, then turned to face him. "I didn't think you were awake."

Tidus yawned and sat up. "I wasn't. That stupid thunder woke me up."

"Don't call thunder 'stupid.' It's smarter than you are."

Jo turned back to the window and rested her chin on her folded arms; her figure illuminated every few seconds by a flash of lightning. They sat there in silence for a few seconds before the quiet was broken by a loud crash of thunder, followed by Jo's scream and a string of curse words.

"What!" he exclaimed jumping from his bed and running over to where she stood, face pressed against the rain-streaked window.

"Look!" Jo gasped, stepping aside.

Tidus stared out into the storm before suddenly taking in a sharp breath and stepping back from the window.

"What the…?"

"What is it, Tidus!" Jo shouted.

A huge black, swirling cloud had formed over the Big Island, lightning flashing all around it as it seemed to tear it apart. It wasn't a tornado. Or a hurricane for that matter; they'd seen those, living on the Destiny Islands for all of their lives.

"That thing isn't a normal storm," Tidus pronounced, sitting down at his desk and running his fingers through his hair.

Jo winced. "Then what is it?"

He shook his head and looked up at her. "I don't know. But whatever it is, we have to wake up Rina and get ourselves to the island. Sora, Kairi, and Riku were supposed to set off on their journey tonight. They might be over there."

Sora, Kairi, and Riku had been just like them; craving adventure, wanting to see new worlds. Eventually, though Tidus had been clueless for most of a week, they all got word from Selphie the gossip that they were building a raft and sailing away from the islands. Maybe for a few days. Maybe for forever…

Jo ran to her room and pulled on what she had been wearing the day before, then back to Tidus' room to find him dressed as well. He was writing a note to their mom. But why? They'd be coming back… He signed their names and folded the note, putting it on his dresser.

"You ready?"

Jo nodded confidently. "Yeah."

Trying to make as little noise as possible, they snuck down the stairs and out their door. After running into Rina, who had coincidentally been heading to their house, they got in their canoes and paddled quickly over to the island. The three reached its shores, which had been torn apart by the raging storm, though rest of the island looked no better. Trees had been uprooted from the ground, stairs from their tree house had been blown away, and the ladder to the overhang Jo loved to jump from was gone as well. Slowly, not believing it was real, they climbed onto the dock.

"Let's go find them!" Tidus shouted above the noise.

The three of them took off across the devastated island, looking high and low until they saw two familiar faces. Sora and Riku. Rina, closely followed by Tidus and Jo, climbed over the hut and were about to take off across the slowly breaking bridge to a tiny island, when the same voice from their dreams screamed through their heads.

_"THE DOOR IS NOW OPEN…"_

After exchanging a look, all of them understanding what needed to be done, they sprinted to the Secret Place, through the opening, ducking their heads, and finally into the empty room. Surely enough, the wooden door that was usually shut was wide open; a huge endless black mass beyond it.

"This is it," Rina said. "That dream. This is what it meant."

"Should we do it?" Jo asked, stepping forward, her mind already made up.

Tidus nodded and marched up next to her. "I say yes."

"Me too."

Rina now stood between them, staring into the blackness.

"We could never come back," Tidus muttered. "But... it's what we've always wanted."

"Then, come on!" Rina urged. "It's an adventure! It's what we've all been waiting for! Just like you said! This is our chance. Our chance to see what's out there! And you know it, Tidus. It's kind of… our destiny."

Tidus smiled. "I guess you're right."

"You know she's right, stupid," Jo laughed, not scared enough to resist teasing her brother.

The three joined hands, shut their eyes, and stepped through the door…


End file.
